Transplanting Nursery Grown Plant - How To

Take care of your nursery-grown plant, by providing it with its growing requirements and planting it as soon as you can. The best time to plant flowers outdoors in the ground or in a container is in spring after the threat of frost has passed. As a rule, I like to plant on a cloudy day before the rain. New flowers are less stressed when the sun is not beating down on them and the rain nourishes them.

Before you plant the flower read the label on the container or ask the garden center staff about the growing requirements, and know if your yard has what the plant needs. If your yard is primarily shaded then a plant that needs full sun will not be healthy, for shade yards shop for plants like Hosta. For sunny areas plant coneflowers. There are many flowers and plants but they all have different growing requirements.

Find out what type of soil is needed for your nursery-grown plant. Most plants need well-drained soil. If your yard is rocky or the soil is sandy then grow your plants in raised gardens or containers with potting soil amended with compost or manure.

Planting Tips

The best way to determine how deep of a hole to dig is to look at the size of the container. You should plant your flower in a hole that is as deep and wide as the nursery container.

Remove the plant from the container. The best way to do this is to put the container on its side and roll it back and forth, tap on the sides lightly as this will loosen the soil and make it easy to remove the plant. If you find that the plant does not come out easily then use garden scissors to cut the side of the plastic container and this should allow you to remove the plant easily.

Now that the plant has been removed from the nursery plastic container you should shake the soil lightly from the roots Then set the flower in the center of the hole before backfilling the soil. Water the transplant well.

Bearded Irises Transplanting Tips

Divide your bearded irises during the months of July through August as this time will allow the roots to be established before a hard frost.

A photo of the irises that grow in my yard. 

Started to divide and transplant the irises 

Irises that are grown in a tight space will have small blooms or no blooms, these irises are also susceptible to disease and borers.  I

If irises are planted too close they will need to be divided within a year, otherwise, irises need to be divided and transplanted every 3 to 4 years.

Growing irises is easy, once they are established in your garden they will bloom for many years however; you must check the iris periodically for overcrowding. It is also important to keep the iris bed free of weeds, leaf matter, and debris.

Dividing and Transplanting:


Before digging up the iris rhizomes that need to be divided get the iris garden ready by cutting the leaves to 1/3 of their height.

Dig up the iris with a spade or a pitchfork.  Gently remove the entire iris clump without breaking the roots.  Shake the dirt from the root and then use your garden hose to wash away the dirt from the roots and the rhizome.  Removing the dirt it will enable you to inspect the rhizome.

Inspect the rhizome for soft spots or wormholes, as this is an indication that the iris is infected with borers (grubs).  This generally occurs when irises are overcrowded or there is leaf matter covering the iris bed.

If the damage is small then you can treat the rhizome by cutting off the soft spot with a sharp knife and then soaking the irises in a solution of 10% bleach mixed with water. Soak the irises for a half hour.  Then allow the irises to air dry in shade.  Plant the treated irises in a separate garden.  Do this so you can watch the irises for further infection.

Divide large healthy irises by cutting the young rhizome away from the clump with a sharp knife.

Transplanting Irises

Remove leaves and weeds from the iris garden

cut leaves and transplant spacing plants at least a foot apart 

Grow irises in a garden bed that is located in full sun.  The soil must be well-drained and mixed with organic matter such as compost or manure.  Keep the iris garden weed, leave, and debris free. 

Irises grow best when they receive 6 hours of full sun followed by part shade.  If you reside in an area where there is extreme heat (mid-90 to 100F) then afternoon shade would benefit the irises.


Plant the rhizome in soil no deeper than one inch. Set the rhizome on the soil, spread out the roots, and then cover the roots with soil.  It is best to leave the upper part of the rhizome exposed so that it can absorb nutrients. If irises are planted too deeply then there will be no flowers in spring and the rhizome will rot. Water transplanted irises.

Here are some bearded irises that I grow in my yard and garden. And all need to be divided and transplanted this year.

Maintain your irises and get beautiful spring flowers

Learn more about irises by viewing this video: